Edward's POV

We all stared at the body before us. Bella's breath turned to gasps and she took a step back. I pulled her into my arms subconsciously as the wolves let out an enraged howl.

"No," Bella breathed. "No. They're killing people. No, no, no!" Her wide eyes met mine. "What about Nessie? And Charlie and Jake and oh no!"

"Shhh," I whispered, stroking her hair. "They're in California now, the vampires are still close. As long as we keep them here, they're safe."

We have to tell Sam, thought Embry.

But we have to get them! Quil objected.

We need to stay together.

Jake sure chose a bad time to leave!

"We need to find them," Carlisle said, his voice strained. "We can't have them hunting here."

"Let's go," Bella said, frantic. "They can't hunt in Forks."

I nodded and Carlisle took out his phone to call the others. "Can you pick up their thoughts?" he asked me while he waited.

I listened, straining to pick up any thoughts other than the ones around me. Nothing. "No, they must be at least a couple miles away now." I turned to the wolves. "Go. We'll take care of this." Their teeth were all bared in a snarl.

They killed a human!

"I know. But there are only two, we can handle it."

Embry growled.

"We're wasting time," Bella said. "Come on guys, just fall back for a little!"

"They might flee if they see huge werewolves coming after them," I pointed out. The wolves growled and whined, but they saw my point.

We'll run a patrol around Forks and La Push, Seth told me. I nodded and turned to Bella, taking her hand. "It'll be okay."

"They're coming," Carlisle said. "Let's go. They'll catch up."

We took off running. The scent trail was still relatively strong, and we followed it for a mile or so. Then, I heard them. Barely, but the thoughts were there. They were only flickers, like Charlie's mind, protected by a shield though it was not as strong as Bella's. "I hear one of them," I said.

"Lead us to them," Carlisle said. I turned off the scent trail to take the most direct route—a straight line.

The thoughts flickered, and then faded. I frowned, slowing as I waited for them to return.

"I smell them," Bella whispered. We slowed even more. They were close. Very close. My eyes scanned the trees.

"Coven." The sound was so faint that I barely heard it. It sounded like a female's whisper.

"Should we?" a male asked.

No answer. I strained to hear their thoughts but found nothing. It was like trying to read Bella's mind.

Finally, I heard faint footsteps, accompanied by almost inaudible thoughts. We slowed to a stop. Before us, the two vampires revealed themselves.

In the front, was the female. She was clearly beautiful—it couldn't be denied—even for a vampire. She was tall and lithe, black hair framing her perfect face. Light broke in through the leaves, showing a reddish tint in the strands. Her eyes were the bright, brilliant red of a newborn.

The male was just a few inches taller than her, and more lithe than he was muscular. His hair was brown with natural golden and lighter brown highlights, his eyes a deep crimson.

"Greetings," Carlisle said, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible.

The girl nodded in acknowledgement. The male stood beside her.

"My name is Carlisle," he continued. "This is my family."

"I believe there is more of your coven than you let on," the female said.

Carlisle nodded. "They are coming, but we mean you no harm."

The female smirked. Her mind was protected though, impossible to read. "That doesn't worry me." She sniffed the air. "But your werewolves don't seem to be in a friendly mood with us."

"They won't bother you," I said. "If you leave and do not hunt nearby."

"They don't bother you," she said. "Why is that?"

"We have a treaty."

"And your eyes are gold. You aren't a normal vampire."

"We do not hunt humans," Carlisle said. "That is what allows us to coexist with the wolves."

Piercing red eyes sparkled, and I wondered how such a young vampire could already know so much.

"I'm not a newborn," she said. My eyes widened. Had she just read my mind?

"But your eyes…" Bella trailed off.

"I like my eyes thank you very much. And yes, they do get darker as I get thirstier."

Was she reading Bella's mind?

The rest of our family arrived them, Emmett at the front. He stalked up to stand beside me.

The male glanced at her. "Time to fly," he said.

And then they disappeared in a blur.

"Are they leaving?" Esme asked.

I shook my head. The male's thoughts had been clouded, but they had no intentions of leaving just yet.

"Well then let's follow them!" Emmett said.

"Wait," Esme said. "They may have been intimidated by the size of our family. Perhaps only a few of us should go."

"Edward," Carlisle said. "You should go. It would be helpful to know what they are thinking."

Before I could inform him that I in fact could not hear them very well, Bella said, "Then I'm going to."

"I'm coming," Emmett said.

"The moment they see you they'll flee," Jasper said.

"I could say the same for you," Emmett retorted.

"I will go," Carlisle said. "The rest of you stay nearby, just in case."

We ran again, following the fresh scent trail. I searched for the male's mind, however clouded it was. I found it eventually. It was less protected now, and I tried to see what he was thinking. He was still in the forest. They had stopped now, and he was gazing at the female's face. The feelings that flooded his mind reminded me of how I felt when I looked at Bella.

"They're mates," I said. "They've stopped now."

Carlisle nodded. "Good, we need to talk to them."

"What are they thinking?" Bella asked.

I listened, but I still couldn't quite make out his exact thoughts. "I can only hear the male," I admitted. "And even his mind is a little hard to read." Both their eyes widened.

"Another shield ability?" Carlisle exclaimed.

"But I actually thought she could read minds," Bella said. "She answered questions we never asked, as if she knew we were thinking them."

I nodded in agreement. "It's true. But is it possible for someone to have more than one ability?"

Carlisle frowned. "I've never heard of such, but I suppose you never know."

"Wait," I said, realizing something astonishing. "She read your mind didn't she?" I said to Bella.

Her eyes widened even more. "You're right!"

We were almost there now. I slowed to a walk that was just faster than a human's. We must appear as unthreatening as possible, Carlisle thought. I nodded.

"I knew you would follow."

We whipped around. There stood the female.

Carlisle nodded. "We do not mean you any harm, but we maintain a permanent residence here. It would be much appreciated if you could pass through without exposing us. Also, we have a treaty to maintain with the wolves, and we do not wish for them to destroy you, so it may be wise to leave for you have already killed near their territories."

The male snorted. He was behind us. "Destroy us? I doubt a couple of mutts are capable of that."

"You would be surprised. They helped us fight off a newborn army."

The female shrugged. "Newborn army. Simple compared to dealing with vampires who have special talents."

Bella's eyes widened. "You've fought off a newborn army before?" she asked in shock.

The girl shrugged. "No, but it can't be the hardest thing in the world. I'm not saying it would be a piece of cake, but compared to what we'll be going through, it's nothing."

I frowned. "What you will be going through?" How frustrating it was to be kept out of their minds!

Neither answered. "Long story," the male eventually said. As the words left his mouth, his mind's defenses lowered. I caught a glimpse of some kind of memory. The world was dark, and two vampires were staring at him, an evil glint in their eyes as they approached…

"We've come here for a reason," the female said.

"What is it?" Carlisle asked. "Perhaps we could help?"

"That's for us to know," she answered. "And you to find out." I searched for her mind again with no success. Why was she being so cryptic?

I could feel frustration breaking through my patience. "Won't you just tell us?" I said. "Then we can solve this matter much faster."

The female's piercing bright red eyes examined our faces one by one. "I don't think we can trust you yet."

Carlisle raised his hand. "I assure you that you can."

"No. You all have a weakness we cannot afford," she said.

"What might that be?" I said icily.

"Your bond with a weaker one."

Bella looked at me. "Does she mean Charlie?"

"I…don't know."

"No," the male said. "Charlie's a human isn't he? That doesn't matter to us. He will die by himself eventually anyway"—Bella flinched—"And if not, he'll can always become a vampire."

Though his words had been harsh for Bella, I nodded. "He's a human. Then whom are you referring to?"

Neither answered. However, one phrase broke through the male's barriers. The hybrid.

Rage flared up within me. I hissed. "She is not weak!" I snarled. How dare they think of my daughter that way.

The female disappeared in a blur, reappearing by her mate's side. "She's not strong enough either."

"Who?" Bella asked in alarm.

"Nessie."

A snarl broke through Bella's teeth, her crimson-amber eyes blazing. "She's stronger than you think," she growled.

"So you say," the male said. "She's half human. She would never stand a chance against a vampire."

The thought of ever having Renesmee fighting a vampire sent a chill down my spine. "What makes you think she will ever have to?"

"Some people are rather shrewd, whether you like it or not," the female said.

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Your hybrid is weak," she said. "In the talented supernatural world, she will be seen as a weakness."

"How?" both Bella and I hissed.

Her gaze remained steady. "Your bond with her is too strong. You will give anything to save her if she is to be captured, because she can never break free on her own."

"We love our daughter!" Bella shrieked, shifting into a crouch. The male's lips curled back over his teeth. "How is that a crime?" I touched her arm, a reminder for her to control herself, though I was tempted to attack them as well.

The female shrugged indifferently. "It's a weakness."

"Love makes us stronger," Carlisle said, his voice was hard.

She looked at her mate and then back at us. "Yes, love does make us stronger," she agreed. "Love between partners."

"You couldn't understand," Bella growled. "You've never had a child before. You don't know how much—"

"I don't want one either," the female said. "Forget it. We'll go look somewhere else. Enjoy your happy times here, because soon it'll all be over." They took a step away.

Such a waste…

"Wait," Carlisle said. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "War is breaking out. Not little newborn wars, I mean a huge one. No vampire will be left out."

A/n: If u like it at all so far, please review and let me know! I'm open to constructive critisism so if you have ideas for how to make this more interesting or anything else, review!